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About Our Classroom

"Whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer." - Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

I am the facilitator of a classroom community that I hope will encourage students to think, read, write, and act critically. My favorite question to ask students is "Why do you think that?" I also think teachers working with students who are at-risk of dropping out or come from low-income communities have a special duty to make sure to give students the cultural capital that will help them become leaders who can fix some of the crazy things wrong with public education and the world in general. These two seemingly conflicting objectives got me in a little trouble in graduate school, but I'm having fun figuring out how to balance relevant texts like The Hunger Games with canonical literature.

Also, for the teacher nerds out there, here are my classroom expectations:

Treat yourself, others, and the classroom with respect by:

1. Talking only when others are not speaking and you have been recognized. 2. Using the bathroom pass once a block, when no one is speaking, and efficiently. 3. Keeping the aisles free of backpacks and trash. 4. Listening to iPods when you work alone and are not taking a test or quiz. 5. Asking for help and advocating for yourself.

No student seems to have trouble with their length, but this seems to be something that concerns other educators. Whatever works, right?